So I finished watching Six Flying Dragons last night. I watched fifty episodes in about two weeks, give or take a few days. There were times when I felt overwhelmed. So much was happening and the show was so heavy. I almost felt like giving up at one point to give myself a mental break. If I was feeling stressed out, how about Jung Do-jeon, Lee Seong-gye and even Bang-won? With all the pressures they faced and the difficult decisions being placed before them, how did not one of them get a heart attack? There is a moment when Sambong clutches his chest and almost collapses. I felt those pressures vicariously. Although the thought to quit the show or at least put it on hold for a bit crossed my mind a few times, my nature would not allow me to do any such thing!

I was not as overwhelmed when watching the final two episodes. They were kind of a welcome break, oddly enough. I just sat back and watched.

The characters in this show were complex and made harsh decisions in a time of turmoil and instability. I will say, however, that I could not get behind Bang-won. I don’t think that I felt the desire to take his side. Much of what he did felt like excuses to justify his desire for power. I will say that he was a go-getter and made things easier for the others by doing the more difficult, dirty jobs. His was a mind so intelligent, his was a soul so passionate, that he could not be relegated to a life at home away from the great changes taking place. I agree that such a fate would have been cruel for someone like him. But I still couldn’t support the path he eventually chose.

Let me clarify that these are my opinions based on the drama, not actual history. And while the historical Taejong did horrible things, I understand that he also did a lot of good. And if it weren’t for him, there would be no Sejong the Great. History is complicated, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to judge the past through a modern lens and modern sensibilities.

Back to the show:

With regards to Jung Do-jeon, I could never hate his character. He definitely went through changes after Po-eun’s death. He had to take a harder stance. He could not just talk and try to change others with his words. What a conundrum! He wanted a government with checks and balances, where debate and thoughtful discussion—rather than an iron fist—would bring about true change. But to get there, he had to become the very thing that he was fighting against. He had to play dirty, play on the same terms as his enemy, to bring about his ideal world. This was a dangerous move indeed. From the perspective of those around him, how could they believe that he would truly step down after the all the elements needed to stabilize the new country and keep it functioning in perpetuity were in place? How could you trust that he would not want to remain in power?

–Side note–
I personally did not agree with some of his other reforms. I won’t mention them here for personal reasons, but I’ve read about enough modern examples in which similar ideas were implemented to no good effect. I’m against some of the things he fought for, but I’ll just accept that these ideas made sense for the times in which he lived. I won’t say any more about this here.
–End of Side note—

While I was more understanding of Sambong than Bang-won, the ones I truly felt for were the regular people stuck in the middle of this battle of giants. They are represented by characters like Boon-yi, Mu-hyeol, and Bang-ji, and the residents of Ban-chon. I truly felt for all of these people and generally wished that they would manage to make the best of their lives.

Closing thoughts:
Excellent drama with complicated characters.
Wasn’t too impressed with our secret organization Mu-myeong, but looking over the recap threads for this drama, many others felt similarly.
Not sure if I’ll ever re-watch this, but who knows?

Tree With Deep Roots:
While I like some of the references to Tree, I think that the final episode overdid things. I was reminded of how Answer Me ‘94 overdid it with the Answer Me ’97 cameos. A little would have gone a long way. It was a little corny and forced. Also, I am assuming that when grandma Boon-yi sees some of our cast from Tree teaching Hangul, it must be after the events of the final episode of Tree. Since Hangul is being taught in the open and everyone is smiling, that must be the case. But didn’t one of the guards refer to Cha-yeon—Jang-hyuk’s character—as if he were still alive? He said something to the extent of: “My friend Cha-yoon learned it in day and a half?” This was just based on the subs. I would have to go back and listen to whether or not he used the past tense (but I’m feeling lazy right now, lol). I also felt there were some other inconsistencies regarding the two shows, but that’s not important here.
Lastly, I enjoyed looking over the older comment threads for the recaps. The thoughts and inputs of my fellow Beanies were informative and witty.
Final shout out to Judy! LOL